Frontier Duchess - The Legend of Break Your Heart Pass
by MisterMitty
Summary: A riveting story of bodice bursting passion and sizzling shootin' irons by Rita Haywith. A collaboration with at-CattBubba at-TamaraBMarshall and at-piokathyjack (Too much fun)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 |

Renita Hayweather, Frontier Duchess, sipped at her coffee and watched the dusty street over the lip of her mug. The look was both unguarded and possessive. This was her town, her peeps, every wooden building, every horse rail, every dirt clod, and she guarded them jealously. She was the Duchess and so the look was also given without apology. The sign at the edge of her little whistle-stop said "Hot Kiss – population 217". She gave a mental shrug at the name, it was before her time and no one knew where it had come from but they were all sure it had an interesting story behind it.

The Duchess looked to the church first, knowing that Pastor Joe was sitting in his study and staring out the window, mind not on his studies. Her eyes flicked sideways to Cornucopia Mercantile and Feed. Sure enough, Miss Kathy was busy with a broom, cleaning the wooden steps in front of her store. She stopped, glanced at the church, and waved happily. "Those two have quite the appetite for picnics," Renita mumbled, then laughed at her own shameless pun. "Romance does seem to thrive in Hot Kiss. I do hope that Marshall Travelers doesn't find out Pastor Joe is teaching Kathy how to fish with dynamite. I wonder if he has told Kathy of his past as a moonshine runner?" she whispered and laughed again, then turned toward the Marshall's office.

Federal Marshall Gale Travelers was the only female in the territory wearing a badge and a Colt and possessing the hard won skill to use both. Circuit Court Judge Cora Brandt had once said that Gale Travelers could hit a 'runnin' rabbit with a two dollar pistol'. No one challenged the Marshall to find out. Travelers was also the only Federal Agent in Colorado who smelled like rose water.

The sound of glass breaking drifted out through the double swinging doors of the saloon. "Stop dropping them," Romaine shouted. Renita didn't even flinch and continued studying the dusty street. Romaine Ferdinand el Toro had arrived one day and wanted to be a suitor, not realizing that Renita's heart had already been stolen. So instead he had become friend, piano player, bartender, dance instructor at the saloon, master mixologist searching for the perfect Kombucha, and chef.

The breaker of glass was Nester Numbcicle, part time dishwasher, part time bartender and part time bouncer. What Nester wanted most was to work alongside Marshall Gale Travelers and learn how to shoot. Renita laughed quietly. "Not going to happen," she mumbled softly. "The day that man picks up a gun is the day I leave Hot Kiss. Besides, everyone in town knows there is only one man in Hot Kiss that Gale wants to teach how to shoot, and Oviler is oblivious to the fact."

The sharp ring of a heavy hammer against heavier anvil reached her from the Livery and brought a smile to her face as she pictured Normando's sweaty chest and heavily corded thews. Normando was the thief who held Renita's heart in the palm of his hand, the only man who could make the Duchess breathless with a single glance. He had once winked at her and she had to sit down and fan her face for an hour. The now retired gunslinger had settled in Hot Kiss after one look at her, and taken over the job of Town Smithy. The exercise had changed his body dramatically, much to her thinly veiled pleasure. "Oh Norman," she sighed, and then trembled as a gentle shudder traveled through her body, a shudder she would not confess to Pastor Joe.

Still smiling, she turned away and stared at the opposite end of the street, pushing away the warm thoughts of Norman. Hot Kiss was small, two dirt streets, eighteen buildings, some forty houses and dozens of surrounding ranches. A person could walk every inch in a half of an hour and have time left to stop here at Apple Jack's for refreshment. Apple Jack's Saloon was pride and joy to the Duchess, open from dawn to late and served gourmet meals and an assortment of Coffees, Smoothies, Kombuchas, Spirited Ciders and a nice Pinot Noir for celebrations. She was the only one who knew that Romaine was planning a Taco Wagon to reach some of the outlying ranches at lunch time with hot food.

"Renita, stay alert," she scolded herself. "These are dangerous times." The proof of that was tacked to the board outside Marshall Gale's office, a simple, hand drawn wanted poster that warned that the insidious Snake Eyes Marek had been seen in the territory once again. "Protect the peeps," she mumbled as a tumbleweed rolled by on its way to somewhere else. "Why always with the tumbleweeds?" she muttered.

The breeze that had been blowing all morning suddenly gusted, tugging at the hem of the ankle length gingham dress she wore. It was a very modest cut but could not completely hide the slinky figure of the well-proportioned, raven haired filly. Normando loved that dress and its pattern made up of little cats. Especially when she wore it with the wide, black leather belt.

At the end of the street was the Not So OK Corral, popular hangout for horses, other itinerant mammals, and the occasional gun fight. A small dust devil spun around the corner of the barn, tossing half a dozen more tumbleweeds into the street and sending them her way.

"Clang!" the anvil shouted to her from the Livery, causing her to shudder and smile.

Opposite Renita's saloon was the train station and she snapped her head around when the entrance opened and she saw Oviler Oldschool leave the safety of his office and start towards her. Oviler was both ticket agent for the railroad and duly appointed - and bonded - US Postal Representative to the territory. His job was to meticulously sort both arriving passengers and mail and route both. Being a meticulous man, he was very good at his job. Passengers were easy, they already knew where they were going. Letters and parcels not so much. The Frontier is not kind to the US Mail.

Renita grinned as she watched Oviler pause to allow a tumbleweed to roll by in front of him. Polite to a fault that one. Her friend was wearing a blue plaid vest with a dark blue tie tucked inside, a green eye shade and arm garters to hold up the long sleeves of his white shirt. The stubby pencil tucked behind one ear was a new addition and she was't sure she liked the way it changed the aesthetics.

"Why is it always tumbleweeds?" she asked him as he stepped up onto the wooden sidewalk next to her.

"Well, a tumbleweed is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of plants, a diaspore that, once it is mature and dry, detaches from its root - ."

"Oviler. It was rhetorical."

"Oh."

Shaking her head, she gave him a hug to salve the wound she had unintentionally left on his feelings. She had known him for years and had never considered him to be an insecure man until he'd lost his wife two years prior. The story he told was that she had been taken by an outbreak of diphtheria while visiting a sister in St. Louis, but Renita knew the truth. Holly had run off to Paris, Texas in the middle of the night with a fertilizer salesman and sent him divorce papers soon after. Surprisingly, he prolonged the hug as if needing the gentle encouragement. A shy man, Oviler was not normally a hugger.

"Anything special on the menu today?" he asked, peeking over the double swinging doors of the saloon. "Something smells good."

"Yeah," Renita said. "Romaine is experimenting with a Mexican Lasagna and seems to have a handle on how many layers it needs. Nester is working on developing a mad-mango smoothie."

"Darn it all to heck!" was a sharp exclamation that sailed out the doors.

"Is that blood?" came Romaine's voice.

"Nester is also trying to figure out what to do with the crate of coconuts that arrived from Denver," she added and then laughed with Oviler. "Poor dear just can't figure out how to get the juice out of those things. Just stands and looks at them like a confused cow staring at a new gate. Doesn't know what to do next. As you just heard, a knife won't do the job."

Oviler looked along the street toward the Marshall's office. "Dale said at church on Sunday that Snake Eyes Marek has been spotted in the territory again. A bad one, that. Some say he is so mean that even stink won't follow him out of a pasture."

"Yup. He was seen just over the state line at Longbottom, Nebraska. Held up a bank there."

"Longbottom? That is one story I do not need to hear," Oviler said, giving his head a shake.

"So tell me Oviler, where are the two crates I have coming from New York City? They should have been here last month."

"I don't know Renita. If there is any news from back East, it will arrive on the noon train." He looked at his pocket watch. "Which is due in about ten minutes." Renita and Oviler both stopped, closed their eyes, and leaned toward the east. Then both smiled as the quiet sound of rumbling reached their ears, the sound of the afternoon train climbing the grade to Hot Kiss. "What is it you are expecting?" he asked her.

"I ordered a Nutcracker in the shape of an owl from Switzerland to set on the bar at Christmas. I thought it might be festive. Also, a new carved oak door for my residence upstairs."

"Carved? Big city sort of frilly isn't it?"

She shrugged. "It, well, it's a carving of a group of owls. I fancy owls. The owl is a symbol of wisdom and femininity. Some say that Annie Oakley's favorite bird was the owl." Renita sighted along her index finger and let her thumb be the hammer of a pistol which she dropped. "So," was the report the pistol would have made. "Let me know if there is news on the train. Even you, Mister Oldschool, have to admit that at times the telegraph could be useful, and faster."

The choking sound Oviler made was pure derision and sarcastic. "I am not against technology," he insisted softly. "But HG Wells warned against unbridled scientific advancement in his latest book. He warned that one day mankind would add #hashtags to the telegraph to replace the word, "STOP" and that would lead to complete and eventual social breakdown. I agree with the author. We should move carefully into the future."

"Oh Oviler," Renita sighed. "Wouldn't it be nice to send a message to New York City and receive an answer on the same day instead of waiting two weeks or more?"

"I warn you," he said. "The time will come when same day won't be fast enough. Eventually, it will have to instantaneous letter delivery across the nation. Mister Bell's invention is already causing a stir, now people want a wire that can carry a picture. And then what? Pictures that move and talk and be recorded on discs to play – on – a – Gramophone?"

The last had trailed off at the end because Oviler had turned and was eyeballing the lumbering iron beast huffing and puffing its way into town amidst an expanding cloud of sighing steam. Renita watched the happy look of anticipation on her friend's face and knew what caused it. She turned to study each passenger as they disembarked, paying particular attention to the reason Oviler was oblivious to Marshal Gale's considerable wiles. That reason was the blonde stepping confidently off the train wearing a long riding skirt and leather boots, a matching suede jacket that looked like store bought, and had her hair put up in a ponytail that stuck out the back of a Lady Stetson. Cheryl McMickenmack, Territorial Agent for the Bureau of Land Management, had been in Hot Kiss for almost a year as a surveyor planning the arrival of telegraph technology. Oviler might be reluctant to embrace technology but had no qualms about embracing Ms McMickenmack. Judging by the way Cheryl and Oviler flirted, Renita suspected a relationship that had the potential to produce more steam than that huffing-puffing locomotive.

"Oviler Oldschool!" Renita scolded. "You are watching the way that woman sashays aren't you?"

Oviler grinned from ear to ear. "She is very bright and has a wonderful mind."

"Uh-hum. You aren't staring at her mind, but then those hips aren't bad either," and then she gave him an elbow in the ribs.

Oviler reached out to offer his hand to Cheryl, to help her up the steps. At the top, she stood up on tiptoe and locked lips with the straight laced ticket agent right in front of God and everybody. Renita gave Oviler the one eyebrow up look, an indictment that it was time to come clean with the Duchess about his relationship. PDAs were common in Hot Kiss, with that name they have to be, but Oviler Oldschool was uncommon and not a fan of PDAs.

"How is your mother?" Oviler asked as his neck slowly turned red.

"She is fine, says hello. We went through every book and ledger she had and could not find anything about her time at Break Your Heart Pass. She remembers it well, but there is no physical evidence that points to – ." she stopped and glanced at Renita. "Well, you know."

"Yeah, I get it," Renita said. "You two are treasure hunting, looking for the legend of Break Your Heart Pass."

"Is it real?" Cheryl gasped, nearly pleading. "If we can find it, well, it would mean – ." She stopped and gave Oviler a loving glance. "It would mean a lot. My mother says she saw it once upon a time, but now, it's been so long she can't be sure."

Renita gave Oviler another hug. "Don't forget the definition of legend is, "a traditional story regarded as historical but unauthenticated". Unauthenticated Oviler. They call it legend for a reason. Might be no more than words. Everyone who comes down from Break Your Heart Pass comes through Apple Jack's and not one of those has seen a hint of the Lost Love Diamond. If it were real, a diamond half the size of a hen's egg would be big news and, well, someone would have said something."

Oviler and Cheryl watched until Renita was inside the saloon and then shared another kiss that filled the town with silence from one end to the other. "Oh my," Cheryl gasped at last. "Have to run, have a report to finish for tomorrow's mail." As she turned to leave, she found herself face to face with the other blonde in Hot Kiss, a frowning Marshal Gale Travelers.

"Ms McMickenmack," the Marshal said.

Cheryl was now blushing a deeper red than Oviler was. "Gotta go," she offered as an excuse. Then a mumbled, "Wow, but that man can kiss."

The Marshal was wearing jeans, a dark blue cowboy style shirt with button snaps on both pockets, a tin star pinned to the front, and a nickel plated Colt .45 low on her right hip. At the moment she was staring at Oviler and quietly caressing the handle of the Colt with two fingers as if making a choice between shooting him or finding out the truth of his kissing prowess for herself, and mumbling, "Eenie meenie minie moe."

Oviler looked from the gun to Gale's smoldering eyes. "Uhm, have to run check the mail," he said. Two seconds later he was halfway across the street, rushing in front of a tumbleweed rolling east.

Chapter 2 |

Oliver was washing dishes, elbows deep in hot, soapy water, and smiling at the frequent sound of giggling that came from the living room. Shane was curled up on the couch with Rita's new book and enjoying it.

"Hey Oldschool," she cried out.

"Yes dear," he answered, knowing that it didn't matter that he was elbow deep in soapy water.

"You have to come read this."

"Yes dear," he laughed, finishing the last dish, pulling the drain plug and drying his hands. He moved behind the couch and put his face next to hers, giving her neck a nuzzle on the way by. His reward was her contented sigh. "Now, what is this about Oldschool?" he asked.

"Well, you know how Rita's first book was a fantasy adventure about her and Norman, but the names were all changed so no one would guess the truth?"

"Yes. Remember it well. Cora Brandt loved that book."

Shane giggled. "Oh Lord. This is the sequel to the Frontier Duchess and it is more, much more."

"So our dear Rita has been letting her imagination run wild again?" he asked.

"She shore has Mr. Oldschool," Shane laughed.

"Pray tell, Mrs. O'Toole, are you in this masterpiece and what is your name?"

"I am Cheryl McMickenmack and I am bringing technology to Hot Kiss," she barely got the name out before bursting into laughter.

"Cheryl? That's the name I was going to call you the day you showed up in the DLO."

"Rita remembers, remember?" Shane giggled.

"And Hot Kiss? Well, we can see where her mind was while writing this," he grinned. "Can't say as I blame her, my mind goes there a lot too."

Shane stopped laughing, suddenly very serious, then tipped her head to the side to give him access to her lips. Being the gentleman, he was more than happy to oblige. "Oliver," was her breathless sigh, a whisper of promise, and the simple sound that filled his heart with joy.

"Sit with me," she said suddenly, patting the cushion beside her.

"Agreed," he said, I think I would like to hear more about this Hot Kiss. I might even want to move there someday.

Shane started reading out loud until she came to the part about Snake Eyes Marek. "Snake Eyes Marek? Is that how the DLO sees Steve?" she asked.

"Steve has no friends at the DLO, not after what he did to you."

"Well, he did turn out to be a stinker."

"Sweetie, I have many more colorful nouns and adjectives I could use for Steve."

She handed him the book. "Will you read for a while please?"

"Are you alright?" he asked, concern clear in his voice.

"I am fine. I just like to put my head on your chest and feel the vibrations when you talk," she smiled.

Oliver noticed the faint blush rising in her cheeks and took the book, then made room for her to rest her head on his chest. As the rumbling of his voice slowly lulled her into the very quiet place between awake and asleep, her mind started following the story for her by turning it into micro dreams, very short dreams part fantasy and part reality. Dreams about the old west and telegraph lines spoiling the view but so necessary to allow news to travel faster. About going to Apple Jack's and wrestling with a Kombucha smoothie, and Marshall Travelers giving her the evil eye for stealing her man right out from under her nose. Then she tensed all her muscles when Snake Eyes Marek grabbed her and took her away to Break Your Heart Pass.

"Shane, wake up."

Shane was trembling, weeping because Oliver had come to rescue her but had been bloodied in the process.

"Shane, wake up," Oliver was saying softly. "You're dreaming."

"You were hurt," she said, sitting up.

Oliver was laughing. "It's ok Cheryl. It was only a flesh wound.

"Name is Shane," she said and punched him in the arm.

"So what is the Legend of Break Your Heart Pass?" he asked when she had settled back under his arm.

"Don't know. We have to finish the book to find out. Why do you ask?"

Oliver was tipping his head from side to side as if bothered by the rattle of a déjà vu marble. "Not sure, but there is something very familiar about the name. Like something that I knew once but have forgotten."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 3 |

A blood curdling scream of pain was like an explosion to shatter a peaceful Thursday evening in Hot Kiss. The sound breached the swinging double doors of Apple Jack's and invaded the saloon. People flinched and every eye looked toward the doors. Moments later, Nester Numbcicle stumbled in, one hand gripped tightly in an armpit and both eyes filled with tears. His was a march of suffering as he made his way to the kitchen and waiting bandages.

"Is he still trying to figure out how to get the juice out of a coconut?" Pastor Joe laughed.

"Yes," Renita said with a smile.

Every Thursday night, five poker tables were set up at Apple Jack's. The one next to the kitchen, just below the espresso machine and the wide cabinet holding Renita's collection of six shooters, was reserved for the Duchess and her posse. Normondo, who always sat next to her, Pastor Joe, Kathy, Oviler and then Cheryl.

Romaine set a tall glass with a single straw in front of Renita and then laid one finger against his lips, indicating a secret. "What is it?" Renita whispered.

"Coconut Kombucha," he replied softly.

Renita turned and stared at the door to the kitchen, then back at Romaine. "Don't tell him," she whispered. "It is too much fun watching him try to outsmart a coconut."

"I know," Romaine whispered back. "This has been fermenting for two days and he didn't notice."

"Bet is to you, Renita," Oviler prompted.

"Raise," she replied and tossed chips into the pool.

"I hear that Thomas Ahearn has patented his electric stove," Cheryl said excitedly. "It won't be long and we will be able to prepare a meal in half the time it takes now."

"Technology," Oviler chuffed, the sound mixing with the rattle of chips raining into the pool. "Might make cooking faster, but it won't be fast enough. One day people will want their meals frozen so they can be thawed and eaten in just a few minutes. Will come to no good is all I'm saying."

"Call," Pastor Joe said and then laughed when his hand won. He had also won the deal and began shuffling cards and then dealing around the table. "I hear that Cheryl and Oviler are interested the Legend of Break Your Heart Pass," he said and then rolled his eyes.

Renita was staring at her cards and frowning. "They can believe it if they want to. I'll raise a dollar."

"Woah," Kathy gasped. "Stiff bet for so early in the hand. I'll fold."

"Well, tell us what you know of the legend," Oviler said, folding his hand with disgust and tossing the cards into the center of the table.

Renita shrugged. "The way I first heard it, the diamond was stolen in India around 1780 by a French deserter of the Carnatic Wars who escaped to the New World, America. The man found his way to a small port established for fur traders on the West Coast called Yerba Buena which many years later was known as South Market, or, San Francisco to you."

"But wasn't it called the Love Diamond?" Cheryl asked.

"Eventually, yes. It was given the name Love Diamond by young man who won it in a poker game and intended to give it to the girl who was his love interest. That love interest was one sided and she rejected him without ever seeing the stone. The devastated young man left San Francisco for Salt Lake City, but ended up working for the railroad at Break Heart Pass. He vowed that the diamond would never be shared with anyone until true love found it. He was killed when a binding chain on a rail car loaded with logs broke and tons of uncut lumber rolled onto him. But, the jewel was lost shortly after that and the name Break Heart Pass was changed to Break Your Heart Pass. Many have looked for the gem, no one knows where it is today. Odd too, because it's very large, about half the size of a hen's egg, some 60 carats. How do you hide that?" She chuffed. "How to you ignore that?"

"Why did he call it the Love Diamond?" Pastor Joe asked.

"Because at its center is a bluish-green tinge in the shape of a heart. It can be seen when held up to the light." Renita laughed. "Stories. Many, many stories about that legend. Even Chery's mother claims to have seen the diamond once as a little girl traveling over Break Your Heart Pass. She and a reporter from the east both swear they saw the thing resting in a glass bowl in plain sight on the bar of the Pass Depot with a pink feathered boa lying across it."

"Mama says the reporter said he was going to write the story," Cheryl said, "but she and I have been unable to find any record of it in any paper."

Oviler sighed. "Sixty carats could build a really nice house with a really nice library," he shrugged. "Could support a wife," he glanced at Cheryl who blushed. "Could build a life."

"You'll have to peddle that lathe a little faster if that's the case," Cheryl added, giving his neck a rub.

"Renita, deal the cards," Normondo said anxiously. He had won the last hand and was impatient to repeat success.

"Lathe?" Pastor Joe asked.

"Oviler is using the wood shop behind the train station to build me a porch swing. We even found some very sturdy Ponderosa Pine to use for the frame and seat."

"Would be nice to have a larger porch to set it on, and a house larger than a cottage to attach the porch to. And a yard for little ones to play in."

"Sounds promising for you two. Just remember, "A man's steps are of the Lord; How then can a man understand his own way?"" Pastor Joe quoted.

"Please Joe, not more of your divine delivery theory," Oviler said.

A coconut sailed out of the kitchen, bounced across the wooden floor and then rolled out the door. "Now go get it!" Romaine's voice shouted from the kitchen.

Nester Numbcicle limped through the saloon, one bandaged hand held against his chest, and out the door. A moment later, "What are you doing here?" he said loudly. There was a sound like a hand slapping a melon and Nester fell backward through the swinging doors and landed unconscious on the floor. There were several gasps of shock from all the poker tables and then silence. That silence became a shroud that cloaked Apple Jack's and Hot Kiss. Even the crickets outside were still and Renita's pet owl, Rango, had stopped hooting. Every eye was fixed on the double swinging doors.

"It's quiet out there?" Normondo said nervously.

"Yeah," Renita agreed. "Too quiet."

More than one pair of eyes grew much wider when the unmistakable scent of Old Spice drifted into the saloon, there was only one varmint that wore that. "Snake Eyes always did wear too much cologne," Renita said, rushing to a cabinet and lifting her favorite .41 Colt with ivory handles off its peg and spinning the cylinder to make sure it was loaded. Then she moved to put herself between the door and the table with her friends, making herself a shield. Footsteps on wooden sidewalk could be heard and Renita tensed, raising the barrel of the gun. A blue eye in a face framed with blonde hair peeked into the saloon and Renita pointed the gun at the floor.

"Send someone to get the doc for Nester," Marshall Gale said from the door. "And put that thing away Renita."

Half an hour later, poker forgotten for the night, Gale sat at the table opposite Renita. the Duchess read the look on the woman's face and knew something was coming. "Go ahead and spit it out," she said. "I can see a question waiting there and have a pretty good mind what it's about."

Gale reached across the table and snagged Renita's Long Island Ice Tea and drained nearly half. "I have known Oviler a long time," she said wistfully. "And I just don't get it. This blonde shows up one day and all of a sudden he's beside himself." She looked up at Renita, pleading with her eyes. "Why did he choose Cheryl and not me?"

"And there it is," Renita said. "Trouble is, you're asking me to explain a man and that can't be done. A wise Southern philosopher once asked God why He made woman so beautiful. God responded, "So you would fall in love with her." "But," said the philosopher, "the first thing woman wanted was knowledge. Why did you make her dumb?" "So she would fall in love with you, 'God said." Put another way, to you and I a man with an opinion can only be one thing and that is wrong. Do you see?"

"Nope."

"Ok then. I cannot tell you why he chose Cheryl and not you, but I can tell you the difference between you and Cheryl. You are a skilled Federal Marshall. And tough, you could probably kick Oviler's butt." Renita held up one finger for attention and Gale's eyes snapped right to it. "Cheryl does not want to kick Oviler's butt, she wants to cuddle. Cheryl is as strong and independent as you are, yet when you walk into a room you fill it with authority, but when Cheryl walks into a room she fills it with a smile. She has a vulnerability that called out to him, that offered something he needed and he heard it. Somewhere along the way, between learning how to shoot and wear that badge, you forgot that you are just as vulnerable as she is but have lost the ability to show it. I watched them together the other day and I saw two halves of one whole." She shrugged. "They complement and complete each other."

Renita shrugged, sat back and watched the Marshall hold back the tears that would have proven her point, knowing she would never release them.

"Thanks Renita," Gale said finally. "I am pretty sure I smelled Snake Eye's Old Spice as I walked up to the door. Keep one eye open, he's probably around." Then she drained the Ice Tea and walked out.

Renita stood quietly outside Apple Jack's for a while, watching the night. She found an odd comfort hearing Normondo's snoring coming from the Livery. Marshall Travelers was prowling the shadows between buildings, watching for Snake Eyes Marek. Oviler and Cheryl had stopped near the lake and were sitting in the moonlight. "Probably dreaming of a future and a hope," she mumbled. Laughter from the church turned her head and she smiled to see Pastor Joe and Kathy sitting on the steps, heads so close to one another she could not tell them apart. "Hot Kiss and dynamite is right," she mumbled.

Despite her light thoughts, the Duchess was unsettled, as much as she would love to go to sleep, a chill had settled over her soul that had nothing to do with temperature. Premonition? Possible. Irrational fear? Probably not. This was a warning of some kind that she could not identify. Goose bumps began to grow along her arms and she could have sworn that someone other than Marshall Travelers was watching her. "Worrying is like paying a debt you don't owe," she quoted Mark Twain. "I feel a very large debt coming due." Then she quoted General George Custer, ""We're screwed!" Hope I'm wrong," she said and went inside, wondering if she could convince Roamine to make her another Long Island Ice Tea. 

Chapter 4 |

Shane handed the book to Oliver, then rolled over so that her head was in his lap and she was looking up at him. "Marshall Gale has a point," she said.

Oliver began running his fingers through her hair and was rewarded by a contented sigh. "And what is that?" he whispered.

"Why me and not Dale?"

Oliver continued running his fingers through her hair, thinking in silence for several minutes. "Are you purring?" he asked suddenly.

"Might be," she smiled. "Answer the question. Wait, did you ever go out with Dale?"

"As I have already told you, years ago her route and mine intersected at a small coffee shop and we would spend a few minutes there, together, nearly every day. That practice continued for, well, more than a year. The subject of dating did come up more than once, but she wanted to further her career in law enforcement before she got serious about anyone, spent most of her free time hanging out with other cops. Eventually, the scripture that says, "Bad company corrupts good morals" was proven. But there is another scripture that says, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.""

"That is Oliver-Speak for you rescued her."

"Long story short, yes. That's when I got her back into a prayer group and singing in the choir. Shortly after that, I met Holly."

"We don't need to go there. Now answer the question why not Dale?"

Oliver smiled at his wife. "Renita's answer was both correct and flawed."

"What do you mean?"

"The female mind follows one set of guidelines for selecting a mate, the male mind a completely different set. Each is looking for something completely different than the other. Doesn't mean they are wrong, just means there is a vast difference between child nurturing and hunting gathering. For example, when we first met you probably noticed the cut of my suit, the color of my tie and pocket square, the briefcase I carried and the tilt of my hat. I, on the other hand, noticed your eyes. But I get ahead of myself."

"Feel free to elaborate there Mr. O'Toole."

He nodded. "And so I will Mrs. O'Toole. There was a night that was probably the worst night of my life. I spent hours on the phone to Paris, trying to find Holly. Unlike the night in D.C. when she left without a word, it was obvious this night that she did not want to be found, which made the darkness that much longer and empty. By the time the night was over, I actually entertained the thought that my marriage was over, even though I would not say those words out loud for many months to come."

"And that is important why?"

Oliver nervously cleared his throat. Shane placed a gently hand on the side of his face as encouragement. "Because it was the very next day that we met at that coffee cart."

"Oh my," Shane gasped, eyes wide. "Now that is interesting because you were flirting with me, very subtly, but flirting."

"I was not – ." Shane gave him the two eyebrow up don't-lie-to-me expression and cut the denial off. "Ok. So I was flirting a little. Point is, I saw a pair of beautiful eyes that did not look with judgment but with gentleness. I saw a woman who did not hide from the world behind guile the way so many do, including Holly. This peculiar blonde was facing the world toe to toe simply by knowing who she was and what her strengths were. Truth be told, Ms McInerney, you were the first woman I noticed after Holly."

Shane was watching his face casually, touching without touching. "You're holding something back," she said softly.

Oliver smiled down at her. "You know me better than anyone, don't you?" She nodded and smiled back. "Are you sure you want to know?" Again, she nodded. "There is a secret that most women don't know," he said. "Worse, many of the so called modern men seem to have forgotten. The first man Adam was created in God's image, and just like the Creator, he was imbued with the desire and willingness to die for his bride. That is why Adam ate the fruit Eve offered even though he could still hear God's warning ringing in his ears." He carefully used a gently hand to wipe a tear from her eye. "To borrow the words of Jane Austen, "I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.'' Then came the bank vault and I saw a new side of you, vulnerable, frightened and I was suddenly filled with a powerful" – he closed his eyes, searching almost frantically for the right word – "need to protect you but I was not allowed because of the ring on my hand. That is when I knew I had to mail that letter to Holly. To finally expose the truth and face the future."

She nodded. "Do you believe in soulmates?"

"I don't know. But I do know that walking out of that vault, I knew that I had found God's perfect mate for me, a mate that I would willingly obey the scripture that says, "Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.""

"But I had no faith then."

"And your point is what? There is a devout man in the Old Testament who one day met the woman God had selected for him, and she was a Gentile "with no faith" as you put it. Yet that woman, Ruth, became the great grandmother of King David. God can work with hope and build faith if you let Him. You have learned that. Point is, you were sent at just the right time to save my life, and that is the answer to your question. You were sent, not Dale, and God was right. Our two hearts, both wounded by childhood and scarred by relationships, were exactly what the other needed at exactly the right time. You the Little Letter Writer and me, forever your Letter Reader."

He stopped and wiped at her tears again. "Shane, you possess the amazing power to change my heartbeat with a single glance. At the end of the day you can even bring me back from the dead with a touch. No other woman can do that. Only you."

She smiled then, blue eyes glistening brightly. "So say it with Oliver-Speak."

He nodded. "The characters written by Rita Haywith obey the hand of the author. The bottom line is that you and I were scripted by a higher power. The DLO is merely a stage and we merely players in the drama."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 5 |

Besides the lack of a hangin' tree, the most notable landmark in Hot Kiss is the fancy lattice gazebo built to one side of Apple Jack's, known as Glorieta de la Duquesa, the Gazebo of the Duchess. The gazebo served one simple purpose, a watchtower of sorts where Renita would sit with her morning coffee and casually peruse Hot Kiss. Being a God-fearing woman, she had made it part of her morning meditations. The morning after the poker game found Renita on her lattice throne watching as the denizens of Hot Kiss woke to begin their day. Normando had brought her a grande mocha latte courtesy of Romaine, and she was happy.

Every community has its peculiar member, for Hot Kiss, that eccentric was Kitty Kartwright, local rancher. Renita knew she had come to town when she heard the quiet rumble of several hundred padded feet all moving in staccato unison, accompanied by a rumble that sounded oddly like purring.

"Wow," Normando said suddenly. "Every time I see it, I still can't believe it."

"I know what you meant dear one, I didn't think it was even possible, but she does it. Good morning there Miss Kitty."

"Morning there Renita," the woman said as she walked by on her way toward the edge of town. She was followed by a herd of more than one hundred and fifty cats moving in a carefully structured herd of black, white, and yellow, interspersed with wide splotches of calico. "Am praying we don't get thunder, a stampede on open range is an ugly thing to see, fur flyin' everywhere. By the way, I have some new rodeo stock coming in next week by rail, imported from Mexico, mean ones too, big claws. Just stay alert so no one gets hurt if one of those critters gets loose."

"We'll be sure to watch out for them," Renita said, waving politely as the only Cat Rancher in Colorado moved her tail swishin' herd through town.

Normando bent and gave her his, "I'm going to work now" kiss, and started along the street toward the Livery. Renita was quietly admiring the south forty while he stretched muscles in preparation of a long day when the sound of anxious shouts came from Cheryl's cottage. A moment later Oviler was making a mad dash for the Marshall's office. Renita sipped latte and watched the short, but animated conversation outside Marshall Gale's office. Gale had her hat pushed back and stood with hands on hips while Oviler gestured wildly with arms and hands. Then Gale put a hand on his shoulder and guided him toward Renita's gazebo.

"We have a problem, Renita," Gale said. "Cheryl has been taken during the night, she's gone."

"Remember the Old Spice?" Renita said. "Snake Eyes must have been just outside the saloon listening. He overheard the talk about Break Your Heart Pass and Cheryl's connection to the place. He thinks she knows something."

Marshall Gale removed her lady Stetson and slapped a thigh with it. "Exactly what I was thinking. We need to form a posse, at least we know which way they went."

Renita gave Oviler the look she reserved for especially trying times - subtle sarcasm. "Oh, if only we had a telegraph here to get some help. Don't you think?" Then, "Gather your posse, Marshall, I'll be ready in ten minutes." She took her latte and walked into the saloon. "Romaine!" she shouted. "Get the gear ready while I change, there's going to be a gunfight. If you want something done right, you gotta' do it yourself," she mumbled walking up the stairs to her living quarters.

Oviler stood scratching his head, wondering what to do next, and then took off at a dead run for the parsonage and Pastor Joe. The two stood talking outside the Parsonage for a moment, and then Pastor Joe led him to the small shed behind the parsonage. When Oviler reappeared, he was stuffing something into a jacket pocket.

When the Frontier Duchess stepped out of the saloon, she was resplendent in knee high black Justin Boots, black jeans, a long sleeve black shirt with white arm garters, and a rakish blood red scarf. "Pastor Joe," she said as she carefully donned her black Stetson while Romaine stepped behind her and added a very dangerous double gun rig of black leather with silver studs, both Colts. "I would appreciate it if you and Miss Kathy were to stay behind and keep an eye on Apple Jack's for me."

"It would be an honor, Duchess," the Pastor said.

Rentia gave a nod to Marshall Gale and the posse was off in pursuit of Snake Eyes Marek and the kidnapped Miss Cheryl.

They were a gallant bunch, mostly. Where the others galloped with an easy rocking motion, Oviler spent more time going up and down than forward. An hour later when Marshall Gale held up one hand to stop them in a heavy stand of trees, Oviler's face seemed to be frozen in an expression of, "OH!" While Marshall Gale and Nester saw to carefully tying their horses, Renita and Normando pulled Oviler from his horse and got him on his feet, mostly.

"We're two hundred yards from the Break Your Heart Pass Depot," Gale whispered. "We'll go in on foot from here. Is he going to be able to walk again," she asked pointing to Oviler.

Renita and Normando each had hold of one of Oviler's legs and were grunting with effort, pushing to get the sideways bend out so he could stand upright. "He's badly bowed but he'll walk," Renita said. "Although I suspect his dreams of little ones playing in that yard will have to postponed indefinitely." The Duchess watched Oviler as he limped to a position on the opposite side of Marshall Gale. Anger was visible on his face and his fists were clenched at his sides, letter opener gripped in his right hand and what looked like a stick of dynamite in the left. She knew that he was going to get Cheryl back or die trying.

The posse moved through the trees in a chevron formation with Marshall Travelers at point, Renita and Normando on her right, both packin' as Renita called it, and Oviler on the left.

Nester Numbcicle followed five steps behind Marshall Gale and was the one surrounded by the sound of snapping twigs. The Marshall had tried glaring, but Numbcicle didn't seem to notice.

Ten minutes later Marshall Gale raised one hand to stop them just inside the tree line surrounding a wide clearing that held a corral with two horses and the Break Your Heart Pass Depot. The building was a long, narrow log structure, a single story with heavy rafters holding a steeply pitched roof of shake shingles. To the right was a barn, deserted, with an abandoned stage coach waiting for human attention. The rail schedule had changed and trains no longer stopped here at the peak.

Spreading further apart and moving as silently as possible, the posse crossed the open corral and stepped onto the wagon trail that ran in front of the Depot. They had not been quiet enough.

Evil stepped onto the porch of the Depot in the form of a sneering Snake Eyes Marek. He was of average height but stood like he insisted he was much taller. A long, narrow face with dark hair receding at the temples supported a black felt Lincoln hat. The pencil thin mustache above his twisted lip was curled at the ends giving him a sinister countenance. Some say that he had once come in second in a Snidely Whiplash Look Alike Contest that was won by Dr. Miguelito Quixote Loveless.

Marshall Travelers held up her left hand as the fingers of her right caressed the grip of her nickel plated Colt. "Hold it right there Marek!" she shouted.

"Oviler!" Cheryl screamed from inside the Depot.

Snake Eyes froze. The Marshall froze, Renita, Normando, Nester, all became breathing statues as a tumbleweed rolled by in front of Snake Eyes.

Oviler was trembling with the urge to do something when Cheryl screamed again. "Oviler!"

Renita turned to look at the Rail-agent slash Postmaster and had a bird's eye view when it all happened at once. Every muscle of Oviler's body tensed and then he exploded forward, making a dash for the side of the building to go around the back.

Six shots rang out in the space of two seconds.

Marek drew and fired, the bullet hit the dirt inches from Oviler's rushing heels.

Marshall Travelers, left hand still raised, pulled her Colt and fired, but Marek had dropped his right arm under his left and let go a shot at Gale, hitting her in the shoulder. The Marshall's shot hit the rein rail one foot from Marek's torso. Marshall Gale tumbled backward, rolling into a heap in the dust.

Renita and Normando both slapped leather and fired at the same time, both hitting the heavy rafter just above Marek.

Nester Numbcicle dove over the top of Gale's body, grabbed the Colt she had dropped and fired while still rolling. The Lincoln felt hat flew from Marek's head and the outlaw ducked inside the Depot, hiding behind the door. Nester flipped the groaning Gale onto her back and then drug her to safety behind an abandoned wagon.

Two seconds after it had begun, Renita and Normando were running to match Oviler's move to go around to the back.

Renita saw Oviler peering in the window at the back of the Depot, and copied his action. Cheryl was tied to a chair in the middle of the room but looked fine, Marek was moving through the shadows to her side to reach the door out the back. Normando stepped into the open and Renita moved quickly along the back wall, just as Snake Eye's stepped outside.

Oviler moved again and stopped directly in front of Marek, staring at the muzzle of the man's Smith & Wesson. Marek's eyes were fastened on Oviler's left hand and the burning fuse on the stick of dynamite. A second passed, and then another. The fuse on the dynamite sputtered and went out, that was Marek's que to raise his weapon. The dynamite had been a fake but the letter opener in his right hand wasn't and Oviler threw it like a dagger. The letter opener flew true, grazing Marek's cheek and drawing blood, making the man flinch. The gun went off and Oviler was spun around to fell face down into the shallow creek behind the Depot.

Normando fired, winging Marek who dropped his gun. Renita was ready moving and let go her lasso as Marek turned to run back into the Depot. The Duchess laughed as she moved as lightly as one of Miss Kitty's prize felines, her hand flicked and the rope found its target. She tossed the loose end of the rope over a heavy rafter just as both or Marek's legs were caught in the open loop. With a shout and a loud gasp, Renita and Normando hauled Marek up by his ankles while suffering under an onslaught of very harsh language.

Nester Numbcicle, Gale's Colt in hand, crashed through the back door, charging into the fray. But the fray was over, the door slammed into Marek's upside down head hard enough to put him to sleep, still swinging by his ankles. "Wow," Nester said, "he looks just like one of them yoyos."

Nester had paused long enough to loosen Cherly's bonds and she came charging out the door next, adding insult to injury as the door slammed into Marek again. She rushed to Oviler's side just as he was picking himself up out of the water.

"Wow!" he said. "Look at that."

Cheryl pulled him around and exhaled relief. There was a red mark along the side of Oviler's head where the bullet had grazed him, but without leaving permanent damage. She sat down with her feet still in the creek. "Look at what?" she asked.

Oviler nodded at the creek. The water was only three inches deep, sparkling in the sun, winking at Cheryl and Oviler was a diamond hidden among the pebbles, a diamond half the size of a hen's egg. "I'm looking at a porch for your swing and a house to put it on."

"And a yard for the little ones," Cheryl added.

Oviler grimaced, remembering the pain. "About that," he said.

As the posse prepared to do an about-face and start back to Hot Kiss, Renita stood in the trees and stared at the back of Marshall Gale Travelers. Gale had one arm in a sling and was sitting on a log, looking back down into the valley. "I'm sorry," Renita mumbled. Break Your Heart Pass was still living up to its forlorn name for some.

That evening, the Duchess rested on her gazebo, coconut Kombucha in hand, listening to the ring of Normando's hammer mixed with the sounds of laughter and thunder caused by dynamite down at the lake. She smiled as Nester walked toward the Marshall's office with a bouquet of wild flowers. "Have to give the man credit for trying," she said softly. "But I'm still not letting him keep a gun."

Chapter 6 |

"Oh how Rita's imagination delilghts me," Shane said as Oliver closed the book. "The Love Diamond indeed."

Oliver laughed. "Someone once said that there is a thread of truth in every legend. Would you like to see it?"

Shane sat up, laughing and punched Oliver's shoulder. "Really Mr. O'Toole, you can't – oh my." She frowned, eyes searching Oliver's face, difficult because playing poker had taught him how to reveal nothing. But when she saw the sparkle in his eyes, the realization came and her mouth dropped open. "Oh my Lord," she gasped. "He didn't?"

"He did," Oliver smiled, got to his feet and led her by the hand.

In the library he stopped at the end of a bookshelf, then reached behind a bronze Remington sculpture of a cowboy sleeping in the saddle. Shane heard a pronounced "click" and the bookshelf swung outward. Recessed into the wall were a dozen small drawers and several cabinet doors, all locked.

"Joseph Lindley O'Toole left many secrets in this house," he said while withdrawing a key from a slot in the back of the bookshelf. "When my great grandfather was a young man, the Army Corps of Engineers built a highway over Loveland Pass. That highway became U.S. Highway 6 and carried the bulk of east-west traffic for decades. Then in his son's day, traffic flow changed to the Eisenhower Tunnel. Break Heart Pass was forgotten, but it is still up there."

Shane was smiling, watching as Oliver used the key to unlock one of the drawers.

"Joseph Lindley O'Toole spent a summer working for the railroad on Break Heart Pass, that was 1912." Oliver lifted a diamond half the size of a hen's egg out of the drawer and placed it in Shane's hand. "It might be the Love Diamond, but truth be told, no one knows for sure any longer. Notice the white color with the splash of blue at its center? Who knows? Rita might be right."


End file.
